The Car That Brought Fittipaldi Out of Retirement

Britain's March Engineering entered Formula One in 1970, with the "M" in its name representing Max Mosley. The 1970 season's third-place finish remained March's best result until they left Formula One for good after 1992, but starting from the eighties, the team also made a name for itself in F2, IndyCar, Group C and IMSA GTP racing.

The 1983 March 83G originates from the BMW-powered Lotec M1C, which was an evolution of the failed Lotec 681. In 1982, March realized that replacing the 3.5-liter BMW engine with a big block Chevy V8 could make for a good Group C/IMSA car, while the M1C's honeycomb chassis was completely redesigned by Robin Herd and a very young Adrian Newey. For 1983, March built five 83Gs. One with a smaller fuel tank in Group C-specifications went to Nissan, while three of the four IMSA GTP prototypes ended up at Al Holbert Racing, who equipped chassis #04 with a turbocharged Porsche flat-six.

Enjoying his semi-retirement, Emerson Fittipaldi suddenly got a call to drive the official car of the 1984 Miami Grand Prix, on the tight street circuit agains all the works Porsches and Fords.

The #30 MOMO Corse Alba/Momo AR3 001/Ford of Gianpiero Moretti and Oscar Larrauri exits the hairpin turn during the Budweiser Grand Prix of Miami IMSA GTP race on the temporary street circuit in Bicentennial Park in Miami, Florida, on February 26, 1984.

Bob HarmeyerGetty Images

A 366-cubic-inch engine producing a touch over 600 horsepower in a 2000-lb car with no power steering. Following Al Holbert's victory with the 83G in Miami, the experience of driving the Chevy-powered March against the giants (the race was won by a Jaguar XJR-5) in 1984 pushed Fittipaldi towards his 13 seasons in IndyCar. He left the series with a championship and two Indy 50o wins.

Seeing the car again wearing its original livery, with young talent James Roe Jr. nodding at the pits with respect, the 72-year-old Brazilian was taken back all the way to 1984. And for these three hours, his March 83G ran like a champ.

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